2012 Trends

With 2012 just over a week away, we wanted to shared with you some trends that we see will either take off or continue their ascent in the New Year. Earlier this year, we picked out some of the hottest culinary trends and now we break down some of the products, philoshophies and organizations that we see doing taking off in 2012.

1. Green Building – With the growing prominence of LEED Certification, many  developers will want to be acknowledged for their sustainable and environmentally-friendly achievements. With the support of the administration and high-profile certifications, this sector will continue to grow.
2. Eco-Cycling – While we can’t say that achieving zero-waste will happen in 2012, there are many programs that are aiming to make it happen sooner or later. Eco-Cycling aims to find a way to recycle virtually everything.
3. Sharing Is Caring – Zipcar, HertzOnDemand… yawn. They’re here to stay, but they’re definitely not trending anymore! Keep an eye out for a bike share popping up in your city this summer – looking at you New York City! More and more Community Gardens will pop up, too!
4. Virtual Takeover – It seems kind of ironic, but consumers will use their virtual devices to keep their purchasing and eating more natural thanks to a host of great smartphone apps.
5. Local – All things local will become increasingly more mainstream. Rooftop restaurant gardens, estate-grown beers, locally grown produce and the like will continue to rise.
6. Urban Crawl – Thanks in large part to Generation Y’ers, urban living is becoming cool again. Enjoying the conveniences of an urban lifestyle, there will continue to be an influx in the country’s largest cultural centers.

These, of course, don’t apply to everyone but it’s fun to forecast the future! You should try it out, too. Let us know below what green trends you see taking off in the New Year!